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Real Tour Vision is pleased to announce our all new automated Tour Shredder! There’s no other way to say it; deleting unnecessary virtual tours from your account was always a painstaking endeavor. Users will now be able to shred multiple tours at once, which means significantly less time cleaning up old unwanted tours. Our new shredder will also remove the tours you shred from YouTube, and the tour provider rankings will no longer be reduced due to shredding tours. The old shredder was very underutilized and we feel these improvements will go a long way towards helping our customers keep their accounts clean. In the end this means more resources for maintaining a highly competitive virtual tour hosting platform.

Why shred?
It’s really quite simple. RTV has created a first class virtual tour solution that requires lots of programming and maintenance to keep it (and YOU) ahead of the competition. This means it’s vital that we keep our hosting costs as low as possible so the most resources can be allocated towards programming for a better tomorrow!

You can help us with this mission and receive free tour credits in the process. Our new Tour Shredder allows you to easily locate and remove virtual tours within your account that are no longer needed. The Shredder suggests virtual tours for shredding based on past traffic and the status of your virtual tours. Virtual tours that have not received any traffic in over one year and or tours that have been marked as SOLD in the account will be automatically flagged for shredding. We will never recommend business type tours or tours that are not “For Sale” as a possible tour for shredding as you’re already paying an annual hosting fee to keep your business and commercial tours on our system.

How do you do it?
That’s the best part since it’s VERY simple to use! To use the new Tour Shredder simply login to your RTV account at https://manage.realtourvision.com, click on the FSD tab along the top, then click on “Ready for Shredder”. The system will keep track of how many virtual tours you’ve removed from the system and pay you back in tour credits. We make it very easy for you to remove dozens, or even hundreds of tours at a time. The Shredder will also remove any associated YouTube productions in the process. Watch this short video to see the shredding process in action – https://youtu.be/NbHZ7AjMTS8

What’s in it for you?
RTV credits customers with one free tour credit for every fifty virtual tours that are shred. Using our current virtual tour credit pricing, this payback is equal to having a 2% cash back program just for keeping your account clean. RTV was the very first virtual tour hosting service to reward customers for shredding old tours. To date we’re still the only company with such a program. Not only will you earn tour credits by shredding your old tours, but you’ll also feel good that you’re doing your part to help RTV keep the most resources allocated to programming.

How often should you shred?
As your technology partner, RTV will now count on you to shred unnecessary tours from your account on a regular basis. Each month RTV will send you a reminder if the shredder identifies any new tours that can be shred. Be on the lookout for that email! If monthly shredding is not for you then you should minimally clean out your old and “sold” tours one a quarter throughout the year. It’s fast and it’s easy to do so just make it a part of your routine.

Policy Changes Coming Soon!
While we know that most of our loyal customers will have no problem shredding old data, there will still be those that have gone out of business, left the industry or are simply too busy to shred. To address these cases RTV will soon be introducing new policy that will label accounts that do not use the Tour Shredder as “Abandoned” or “Distressed” depending on how many tours are being created in those accounts each month and how many “shreddable” tours those accounts contain. Accounts that are abandoned or just plain running inefficiently will receive notification from RTV encouraging the shredding of this unnecessary data. If the data is still left in those accounts RTV will then use the Tour Shredder on the customers behalf to bring these accounts back into balance.

A very big thanks to everyone for your continued support. We’ve very excited about all the new virtual tour technology that we’re able to provide. It’s you, our loyal customer base, that helps make all this possible. See you on our next webinar!

You’ve read about it on facebook and you’re seeing everyone around you gear up with virtual reality goggles. Last week RTV launched their virtual reality pilot program for their customer base. What now? How much should you be selling this for? How do you roll this out? Will people in your area be interested in this new burgeoning technology? How can you test the waters without making a huge investment? What is the investment and how does it all work? What additional equipment do you need to pull this off and offer it to your customer base?

We’re sure you’ll have these questions and many more as we dive further into the world of RTV’s new 3D VR product line. As you’ve heard us say, we certainly feel this is the next natural step for virtual tours and we want to take you there team as we feel the potential is HUGE! In our pilot tests that we ran on several trade shows up here in the Northern Michigan market we found this technology attracted large lines of real estate agents waiting to see the VR experience. More often than not those left the experience stating that they would certainly add the service to their virtual tour service as soon as it became available. Several stated boldly they would add the new service to every listing! One thing is for sure, we have their eyes and ears and they’re loving the product! Now it’s time to evaluate, learn and launch!

Come to the show and find out why Northern Michigan’s LARGEST RE/MAX office (500+ listings a year) just told BlueLaVaMedia they would be getting the VR Headset Tour upgrade on every listing!! This add-on really packs a punch team.

Join Jason LaVanture and Jay Stringham on Tuesday August 15th at 7:00 pm Eastern for The Formula 80, where we will discuss how RTV’s 3D VR tours are revolutionizing the virtual tour industry as well as everything you need to know about creating these tours. You will learn what gear is needed, how easy they are for photographers to shoot, as well as strategies to start selling these tours in your area! The best part is, offering 3D VR tours is very economical and more than likely uses the gear you already have.

As a Tyler, TX Real Estate Photographer, it is important to me that I provide the client with a clean image with no visible distractions or photographic issues. No matter how technically good a photo is, overcoming a bad lawn is just about impossible when comes time to show the house. Having been a Smith County Master Gardener, I’d like to think I’ve learned a thing or two about green grass. These are our Picture Perfect Green Grass tips for photographers to pass on over to their customers. I hope they help.

1. Watering: Water early in the morning and avoid night watering as it can lead to disease. I like to water less frequently, but for a longer duration. The longer duration ensures that the water goes deep, the lower frequency prompts roots too search deeper for water. Watering more frequently causes roots to stay mostly near the surface and as a result, when drought comes or a missed watering day, the plant is less tolerant. Automatic sprinklers are best for the exact amount of saturation.

2. Mowing: Mow your lawn once a week keeping it from 3 to 4 inches in height to keep weeds at bay. Some lawn care professionals pay no attention to this and every client gets the same cut regardless of grass type. You want a lawn care pro with a dedicated residential crew.

3. Weed Prevention: We’re talking broadleaf and grassy weeds. They all cost money to get rid of but once gone it is a easy process for the home-owner to maintain. If, however you have established weeds, consult a local pro and start a regimen of pre and post emergents to gain control of and eliminate weeds. There is an old adage that goes, ” one year’s seed equals three years’ weeds.” A good lawn pro is well worth the investment. The same as with mowing, You want a lawn care pro with a dedicated residential crew. It not unimaginable that a crew could cut the lot behind your local xyz store which was full of weed and then drive over to you home to shack all the weed seeds off in your yard.

4. Soil: Poor quality soil ph and nutrient issues can lead to thin and patchy lawns. Each spring have your soil tested so you can provide the nutrients that are missing so it remains balanced to keep grass healthy. Your County Extension can provide you a soil sample kit, which is then sent in for university analysis. They will send you a report specifying what is needed for you soil and grass type.

5. Fertilizing: In the spring fertilize your lawn using a 20-5-10 slow release mix and apply it with a broadcast spreader. To ensure proper, even spreading apply it tire to tire up and down the lawn so you don’t have any burn marks. Read the instructions so you apply water properly as some fertilizers such as granule mixes usually recommend a good soaking prior to spreading the fertilizer.

6. Winter Green: Have you seen real estate photography made in the winter? Flat, dull, boring. If your selling in the winter, the last thing you want to have is a brown lawn or a bunch of mud holes. Over-seed with winter rye to have a beautiful green lawn during the winter. It’s not that expensive and many lawn care companies offer this a part of their routine annual service. If your lawn is full but just a bit dull, then 360-Media Real Estate Photography and Marketing can certainly retouch your photos. But you could also consider adding iron to your lawn for a very fast green up.

Hop on over to http://www.360-media.us/, to see our full line of photographic and marketing services for real estate agents in the Dallas and East Texas market. Our Virtual Tours are AMAZING to look at and come preloaded with POWERFUL marketing tools thanks to Fusion Virtual Tour Software by RTV.

If you are working in the real estate photography industry, you already know how popular aerial drone photography is. Perhaps you have felt a bit intimidated by the licensing requirements and testing, or you weren’t sure you would receive enough work to justify the investment. If you can identify with either of these dilemmas or you weren’t sure where to begin, RTV’s next webinar just for you.

Join Alan Perlman of Drone Pilot Ground School and Jason LaVanture Vice President of RTV and owner of BlueLaVaMedia (Traverse City Drone Company) on June 20th, at 7:00 pm EST for The Formula 80, as they discuss the current state of licensing regulations in the United States, and share their experiences on how to set up a profitable aerial drone photography program. Drone Pilot Ground School has a proven track record teaching folks just like you what they need to know to pass their part 107 exam, and how to operate safely as well as how to handle airspace restrictions. Best of all they offer Real Tour Vision virtual tour software providers a special discount for their program.

RTV has seen a dramatic increase in interest in aerial drone photography with their national photography services and has begun offering this aerial drone services across the US. With new clients being brought on board every day, the time is right for our virtual tour photographers to be ready to jump on these drone photography orders, but they must be appropriately licensed and insured. Photographers who tune into the show will learn all they need to know to get on track to become a fully licensed commercial aerial drone operators.

Adding aerial photos and videos are an excellent addition to the services you already offer. Our interactive virtual tour software provides the perfect platform to display your professional imagery, aerial drone videos and more. Join us and learn how you can take advantage of Alan’s generous offer to RTV photographers, and how offering aerial photography services can help you grow as a business. If you are not currently an RTV photographer please take a moment to set up your free virtual tour software trial account and discover powerful tools to help take your business to the next level!

How much should I charge for my photography services? How do I make a website that sells? What is the best approach to shooting a property? Starting your own virtual tour business can be intimidating. We hear questions similar to these on a daily basis. We understand that being successful in any business hinges on the owner’s ability to get answers to questions like these. Your success is RTV’s success. We are excited to announce a great solution for real estate photographers everywhere.

If you missed our webinar “Through The Lens 4 – Successful Real Estate Photography Tips with Darryl Stringer” or if you listened in but would like to learn more about the topics he spoke about, you are in luck. RTV has invested in an exclusive three-part video series created by Darryl Stringer that will answer the questions above and more.

Darryl is the photography and marketing expertise behind The Real Estate Photography System. He works with photographers around the world, teaching them the most important secrets that he has gleaned over his more than 30-year career shooting real estate photography. In this series, Darryl offers deeper insights on the steps photographers need to take to set their business up for success, as well as demonstrates his shooting and post-processing methods and more. This resource is a valuable addition to our Rockpointe Marketing library and we believe you will agree.

If you are a new virtual tour provider, have been struggling to get your business off the ground, or are a seasoned pro, this Rockpointe Marketing exclusive video series is a must see.

Do you need to purchase or renew your Rockpointe Marketing membership? Follow the links from the sidebar in your control panel or simply visit rockpointemarketing.com to join. You will be glad you did.